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Camino 2019, From IrúnCamino 2019, From Irún
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Camino 2019, From Irún

June - July 2019
June 2019 Read more
  • 35footprints
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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún

    Ready to go

    June 2, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Hard to believe, but my trusty, 19 year old Mountainsmith Ghost pack (used on all but my very first camino in 2000) is packed and ready to go. I will leave tomorrow on the 10 am flight, with connections in Chicago, Philadelphia, Madrid and then my final destination San Sebastián. The San Sebastián airport is actually in Irún, which is convenient, because Irún is my starting point.

    If all goes well, on June 4, I will meet up with Alun in Pensión Bowling, and off we will go on June 5.

    The walk this year is some new, some familiar. First the new — the Vasco Interior (hopefully, we will be able to take a couple of mountain alternatives), then the Olvidado from Aguilar de Campoo (I have walked this route, but not since new mountain alternatives have been marked), and then the Invierno from Ponferrada.

    I know I am lucky to be able to do this once again, and I hope I will be able to walk without injury. You never know. My body is pretty used to these Camino beatings, but I know things can happen, so I leave with fingers crossed!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 2

    Made it to Irun!

    June 4, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Four flights, a few hours sleep on the plane, and a 20 minute walk into town from the airport. In a couple of hours, I was able to mail two boxes, get my Spanish phone card, buy some fruit, yoghurt and nuts, wash my clothes, shower, and check the route out of town for tomorrow.

    That left me just enough time (kitchens close at around 3:40 or 4:00 ) to get a bus to Hondarribia for my first ensalada mixta of this camino. Pretty, little, and very touristy Basque town.

    I had my first (but surely not my last) GPS freakout. One minute all my tracks were there, and the next minute they were gone. Not sure what happened, but turning it off and on again did the trick!

    I stopped off at the Albergue to get my credential stamped and got some info on our camino. Everyone else is walking the Norte, which also starts here, and which I walked with Dana in 2006 and alone in 2017. So it’s time for a new Camino.

    Cannot wait to sleep. Alun should arrive within an hour and I will be holding my eyes open with toothpicks by then!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 3

    Nothing but rain

    June 5, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Alun arrived last night, Gatwick to Biarritz to Hendaye and then walked across the bridge to Irun. Great to have a buddy, especially one with as great a sense of humor as Alun. I slept straight through the night and woke up at 6 to the sound of heavy rain. No point avoiding it, since it was projected to rain all day, so we headed out around seven after a coffee. It was a hard walk, sometimes having to walk up stony paths with just tons of water pouring down from the top. We took two bar stops for the best tasting and most warming cafés con leche I have ever had. People are very nice but think we are crazy. I, on the other hand can’t understand why everyone doesn’t love this like I do.

    We did get a few minutes of no rain and an occasional snippet of blue sky. We ran into an Irish guy headed to San Sebastián who was a bit confused, but he was the only other walker we saw. Other than that we just kept plodding up and down, up and down (GPS and other tracks tell me we had 1100 m elevation gain, and about 33 km, not an easy first day), but even in the rain it was beautiful.

    Arriving at the Hotel Ibiltze was like entering heaven. One hot shower, clothes washed, and all is well. Tomorrow we continue into the mountains for the first of a two-day mountain alternative. And no rain in the forecast!!!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 4

    Sunny, beautiful and HARD walk

    June 6, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Today we thought we had about 23 kms, turns out it was 26.5. But it wasn’t the distance, it was the ascents. About 1200 m elevation gain, seemed much tougher than yesterday.

    The weather was just glorious, sunny with occasional clouds and in the 60s. Mostly on mountain trails, all very well marked. The steady stream of unbelievable views was pretty great.

    Because of lack of accommodation, we had to detour 300 m down to a very pretty little village named Errezil. We have rooms in a nice guest house, Casa Letea,

    Tomorrow another 25 or so with more huge elevation gain, another 1000 or so. And lots of descent as well, which is awful on the knees. Another great weather forecast as well! No complaints from this very content Peregrina.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 5

    Up and down and up and down

    June 7, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We had another day with huge (for us) elevation gain. My knees finally started to complain. So on arrival in the little town of Ormaiztegi I went first to the farmacia. Got some ibuprofen (the only thing in a pharmacy that is about 1/10th the price in the US, so how did I forget mine?) and I also got a very minimal elastic knee brace. Now sitting in our pretty basic pension with ice on it. Good time to write.

    Today’s walk was again filled with jaw-dropping views. Alun got pretty good at predicting when we would leave our ascent through the forest and emerge to a gorgeous mountain scene.

    We had our first problem with routing—we could see exactly where the camino went but hundreds of pine logs were stacked blocking the way. About 45 minutes and many nettle stings later, we finally emerged on the path again. Felt very triumphant!

    No rain in the forecast, that would make it three days in a row!!!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 6

    Short day, pretty country, sore knee

    June 8, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We had a very short day, the end of the mountain alternative. Almost all of the walk was either in a beech forest or along a ridge with views of the mountain pass we will go through tomorrow. We are in a nice pension with the best meal of the trip so far. Highlight was mussels in Idiazabal cheese sauce (a Basque cheese, one of my favorites).

    My right knee is complaining on the descents. I am doing some stretches, icing it, and taking ibuprofen Fingers crossed.

    Weather got very cloudy this afternoon but were hoping for a dry day.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 7

    Saying goodbye to the mountains

    June 9, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Today didn’t start well. I got a call from home at 4:20– little miscalculation there. Then as I was clumsily trying to turn off the phone I inadvertently called Alun and woke him up. Then I spilled a cup of coffee made with my electric coil.
    Luckily things got better quickly.

    We left early to avoid the predicted rain. Not a drop fell. The first 15 km or so of this stage were magical. Up through beech forest, enshrouded in fog, till finally we arrived at the tunnel. Just as we arrived, the sun burned through and we could see we were surrounded by jagged peaks. Through the tunnel, into another Basque province (Álava), and then kms more of forest.

    We got to the usual end stage of Salvatierra at around one and just weren’t ready to stop. So our only choice was another 14 to Alegría (Happiness). We made it, dragging at the end but very happy to have only a 16 km stage tomorrow. There is a wonderful albergue here and we each have our own room!

    Knee is doing much better!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 8

    Short day to Vitoria

    June 10, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    I slept in till 7, made a coffee with my spiffy electric coil, and by 7:45 or so we were ambling our way to Vitoria, capital of the Basque Country.

    We passed a turn-off for a 2 km detour to the region’s “jewel of Romanesque” but since it is Monday and the church is closed, I passed on the chance to see the outside.

    We did go through a little town with a church with a Romanesque and doorway. Closed too, of course.

    The city of Vitoria has a beautiful downtown medieval core (was a walled city). Since the albergue didn’t open for almost two hours, we opted for a cheap pension in the old quarter. It’s fine.

    Currently icing my knee. Nothing to do before the 5 pm Cathedral tour except eat lunch, so I will rest up for a while now.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 9

    Long day to Salinillas

    June 11, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    Yesterday in Vitoria was great. We had an absolutely fantastic 13€ menu at El Gautxo It’s a beautiful old town, and the cathedral tour takes you down to the foundations and shows you all the foundation work and where the old city was. It was really fun.

    Today was a VERY long day, 45.6 km long to be exact. But here we are in an Albergue in Salinillas de Burandon, an old 14th century walled town. It is still technically in País Vasco, but its wine is eligible for Rioja denomination. The Albergue owner (a young guy with a Che patch on his pants) gave us a bottle of his family’s wine and we are enjoying it with our chorizo and cheese sandwiches. We carried up the sandwiches from the town 10 km back.

    My knee seems to be almost totally recuperated. We had one very steep descent today and I was not in pain!!!!

    Tomorrow about 30 km to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and we hope to catch a couple of buses that will get us to Aguilar de Campoo, where we start the Olvidado and more mountains await!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2019, From Irún
    Day 10

    End of the Vasco

    June 12, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We finished up the Camino Vasco with a 28 km day into Santo Domingo de la Calzada, which is on the Camino Francés. We expected to see hoards but really didn’t see many pilgrims at all. It was a nice walk with one steep ascent at the beginning. Then a killer descent followed by mostly flat.

    After a quick lunch, we got the bus to Burgos. From there we got a “blablacar” to Aguilar de Campoo. That’s a rideshare platform where people driving places match up with people going places. He picked us up at the bus station and dropped us at the door of the hotel. Very nice.

    Tomorrow we start the Camino Olvidado, the forgotten camino. I think it’s likely that we’ll meet some other peregrinos.    Read more

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